This application claims priority of Taiwanese application No. 091114370, filed on Jun. 28, 2002.
1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates to a therapeutic freezing device, more particularly to a therapeutic freezing device to be used in combination with a coolant medium and insertable into an abnormal tissue of a patient to freeze and destroy the tissue. The invention also relates to a therapeutic freezing method which utilizes the therapeutic freezing device.
2. Description of the Related Art
Conventional freezing therapy involves the destruction of abnormal tissue, such as cancerous tissue, by ultra-low temperature coolant medium. To conduct freezing therapy, a probe device is inserted into a target site of an abnormal tissue of a patient, and liquefied nitrogen is then injected into the target site of the abnormal tissue through the probe device so as to destroy the abnormal tissue.
However, use of the conventional probe device results in the following shortcomings:
1. When the liquefied nitrogen flows from a top end of the probe device to a needle end of the probe device through a main body of the probe device, an extremely low temperature of about xe2x88x92200xc2x0 C. resulting from the liquefied nitrogen may also destroy normal tissue in contact with the main body of the probe device.
2. Since the liquefied nitrogen is directly injected toward the tissue of the patient in the conventional probe device, the residual nitrogen in the tissue can result in adverse side effects for the patient.
Therefore, the object of the present invention is to provide a therapeutic freezing device to be used in combination with a coolant medium so as to transfer the low-temperature of the coolant medium to the abnormal tissue that is to be treated through a superconducting layer.
According to one aspect of the present invention, a therapeutic freezing device is provided to include a barrel and a superconducting needle. The barrel defines a receiving space adapted to receive the coolant medium and having a coolant medium entrance end. The superconducting needle is mounted on the barrel and is adapted to contact the coolant medium so that the low-temperature of the coolant medium is transferred to the superconducting needle. The superconducting needle includes a superconductive material.
According to another aspect of the present invention, a therapeutic freezing method is provided to include the steps of:
inserting a superconducting needle into a target site of an abnormal tissue of a patient;
detecting and observing depth to which the superconducting needle must be inserted, and guiding the superconducting needle to reach said depth;
contacting a coolant medium with the superconducting needle to lower the temperature of the superconducting needle; and
contacting the superconducting needle with the tissue to freeze and destroy the tissue without contact between the coolant medium and the tissue.
In a further another aspect of this invention, a superconducting needle is provided for use in the inventive therapeutic freezing device.